WEBTech Notes records changes formerly published in Administrative Notes Technical Supplement. For late-breaking news, LPS posts announcements to GPO-FDLP-L. An archive is available. Contact Us offers a listing of GPO Library Service and Content Management managers for when askGPO is insufficient.

WEBTech Notes records changes formerly published in Administrative Notes Technical Supplement. For late-breaking news, LPS posts announcements to GPO-FDLP-L. An archive is available. Contact Us offers a listing of GPO Library Service and Content Management managers for when askGPO is insufficient.

Shipping List Information

Shipping List Information

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In October 2010, the FDLP Desktop Shipping Lists page linking to official copies of GPO shipping lists in a variety of formats replaced the "Shipping Lister" tool and Federal Bulletin Board. Current USGS lists, formerly on the FBB, are available in "doc" format. Official shipping list files are used to produce a variety of products, among them the HTML versions of shipping lists are available through the Enhanced Shipping List Service, produced through a cooperative agreement between the State University of New York at Buffalo and the Federal Depository Library Program. The Enhanced Shipping List Service has a supplemental Dynamic Search Form accessing an Access database which includes most shipping lists from 2001-2002 and virtually all of the lists from 2003-present. Feedback on this database is requested by Timothy M. McCarthy. DDM2 is extremely useful for locating Federal Depository Library Program shipping list information for 1997-present. No specific browser is required, however Netscape 6+ or Internet Explorer 5.5+ is recommended. The user must have cookies and javascript turned on. DDM2 offers includes searchable GPO shipping lists beginning with FY 1997. May be accessed by Title, Month, Year, Item or SuDoc Numbers, Format and Depository (Library) Number. Searches may combine access points. Users may choose to customize shipping lists, profiling lists for their depository library. Searchers will find that results from recent lists include HTML links to official PDF files. Some users may wish to use accessed lists to download MARC records associated with the list. The FDLP asks that depositories please to use their Web Claim Form for all claims against GPO-produced shipping lists, e.g., paper, separates, electronic, and those few microfiche shipping lists issued from GPO. Before making a claim, check the Claims Copies Exhausted page, linked from the Web Claim Form. Federal Depository Library Program publishes listings of the last or final shipping list numbers for each fiscal year to make it easier to identify missing shipments at the end of the fiscal year. Final lists are available for these years: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, and 2005.

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In October 2010, the FDLP Desktop Shipping Lists page linking to official copies of GPO shipping lists in a variety of formats replaced the "Shipping Lister" tool and Federal Bulletin Board. Current USGS lists, formerly on the FBB, are available in "doc" format. Official shipping list files are used to produce a variety of products, among them the HTML versions of shipping lists are available through the Enhanced Shipping List Service, produced through a cooperative agreement between the State University of New York at Buffalo and the Federal Depository Library Program. The Enhanced Shipping List Service has a supplemental Dynamic Search Form accessing an Access database which includes most shipping lists from 2001-2002 and virtually all of the lists from 2003-present. Feedback on this database is requested by Timothy M. McCarthy. DDM2 is extremely useful for locating Federal Depository Library Program shipping list information for 1997-present. No specific browser is required, however Netscape 6+ or Internet Explorer 5.5+ is recommended. The user must have cookies and javascript turned on. DDM2 offers includes searchable GPO shipping lists beginning with FY 1997. May be accessed by Title, Month, Year, Item or SuDoc Numbers, Format and Depository (Library) Number. Searches may combine access points. Users may choose to customize shipping lists, profiling lists for their depository library. Searchers will find that results from recent lists include HTML links to official PDF files. Some users may wish to use accessed lists to download MARC records associated with the list. The FDLP asks that depositories please to use their Web Claim Form for all claims against GPO-produced shipping lists, e.g., paper, separates, electronic, and those few microfiche shipping lists issued from GPO. Before making a claim, check the Claims Copies Exhausted page, linked from the Web Claim Form. Federal Depository Library Program publishes listings of the last or final shipping list numbers for each fiscal year to make it easier to identify missing shipments at the end of the fiscal year. Final lists have been announced for [http://beta.fdlp.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1780:reminder-last-shipping-list-numbers-of-fy2013&catid=8:news-events&Itemid=145 FY 2013].

==== Processing Procedures ====

==== Processing Procedures ====

The Government Information Clearinghouse and Handout Exchange compiled by the GODORT Education Committee includes materials authored and used in a variety of libraries.

The Government Information Clearinghouse and Handout Exchange compiled by the GODORT Education Committee includes materials authored and used in a variety of libraries.

GPO Item Selection and Classification Information

List of Classes of United States Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries

The List of Classes, an essential tool for Federal Depository Libraries, includes the classes of publications and GPO item numbers associated with them. The electronic versions of this title, updated monthly, are more current than the printed version. The FDLP Desktop page links to the current PDF version (equivalent to print copies distributed to FDLP libraries, and includes a key to format designation codes and current versions of these text files: Inactive or Discontinued Items, List of Active Items and Class Stems, List of Classes, Classes No Longer Active, List of Classes, Appendix II, Alphabetic Listing of Government Authors. This information is also available through the List of Classes Data Files page, where "date added" indicates the currency of the file.

Depository library staff should read the GPO FDLP List posting, Item numbers 0556-C and 1004-E explained regarding GPO's practice of
using these item numbers "to distribute, on occasion, key materials to ALL depository libraries." Documents Data Miner 2 (hereafter called DDM2) provides a searchable database version based on GPO's text files. DDM2 users may download basic files as well as specific query returns. WEBTech Notes is a database of class changes and updates to the List of Classes is available along with video instructions for its use.
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications
Scanned by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and hosted by the Internet Archive, provides browsable pages of volumes produced from 1895 into the 20th century. The project is not complete but is intended to end with volumes for 1970.
Depository Item
Selection Profile
Depository Selection Information Management System (DSIMS) went live on April 17, 2012, replacing the Amendment of Item Selection Form. Read Amending Your Library's Item Selection Profile in order to access the system, access the tutorial, view the newly-created item numbers, and more. GPO produced a document explaining the New Item Number Procedure for Selected Congressional Publications in November 2008. Libraries may wish to use DDM2 to determine which new EL items may have been added before amending their item selection profile. Item Lister reflects each depository library's current item selection profile. Updated weekly, Item Lister's currency displays at the bottom of the listing. Depository libraries may drop items from their profiles at any time using GPO's Amendment of Item Selections form. Using DSIMS, EL-only items may be added at any time. Tangible format items may be added throughout the year but selections will become effective with the new fiscal year that begins on October 1. Item selection information is also contained in DDM2, which integrates current Item Lister, List of Classes, and Union List of Item Selections data to provide complete information on each item number.

This is a basic explanation for those who find the GPO Classification Manual too detailed.

Inactive or Discontinued Items from the 1950 Revision of the Classified List

Also known as the Inactive and Discontinued List, this listing of items, titles, and SuDocs classifications may be used to interpret early depository selection profiles for the purpose of profiling for early record loads. Electronic options include the searchable database in DDM2, and the text file from GPO.

Checklist of United States public documents 1789-1909, congressional: to close of Sixtieth Congress; departmental: to end of calendar year 1909

The 1911 third edition (revised and enlarged) is "an approximately complete checklist of all public documents issued by the United States Government during the first century and a quarter of its history." (p. vii). The digital copies available through the Internet Archive and UNT Digital Library include SuDoc classes for many early documents.

Formerly known as the Sales Product Catalog (SPC) and designed as a sales tool, this database can be sometimes be used to identify and classify GPO-produced titles before they are distributed to FDLP libraries.

Depository Processing Tools

H. Vernon Leighton lists Autodocs under Depository Library Software Tools. "Autodocs is an electronic check-in and shelflist system designed to be used with Microsoft Access 97 or later. It allows one to download an electronic shipping list to check-in and shelflist receipts without keying in shipping list data." Site includes "SuperC", the 2002 Superseded List, for both new Autodocs users and current users who want to upgrade.

The FDLP Desktop includes many useful sections and tools.
Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program
The June 2011 Legal Requirements superseded the January 2008 Federal Depository Library Handbook, which in turn supreseded these publications: Federal Depository Library Manual and the Instructions to Depository Libraries (and Supplements).

askGPO (formerly "Help")

GPO's Online Knowledge Base (frequently referred to as the "CRM") is designed to be a single point of contact for those with questions for GPO. When GPO systems are down, call 866-512-1800 (toll-free) or 202-512-1800 in the DC area to report problems. Customer service hours are 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays).

WEBTech Notes

WEBTech Notes records changes formerly published in Administrative Notes Technical Supplement. For late-breaking news, LPS posts announcements to GPO-FDLP-L. An archive is available. Contact Us offers a listing of GPO Library Service and Content Management managers for when askGPO is insufficient.
Shipping List Information
In October 2010, the FDLP Desktop Shipping Lists page linking to official copies of GPO shipping lists in a variety of formats replaced the "Shipping Lister" tool and Federal Bulletin Board. Current USGS lists, formerly on the FBB, are available in "doc" format. Official shipping list files are used to produce a variety of products, among them the HTML versions of shipping lists are available through the Enhanced Shipping List Service, produced through a cooperative agreement between the State University of New York at Buffalo and the Federal Depository Library Program. The Enhanced Shipping List Service has a supplemental Dynamic Search Form accessing an Access database which includes most shipping lists from 2001-2002 and virtually all of the lists from 2003-present. Feedback on this database is requested by Timothy M. McCarthy. DDM2 is extremely useful for locating Federal Depository Library Program shipping list information for 1997-present. No specific browser is required, however Netscape 6+ or Internet Explorer 5.5+ is recommended. The user must have cookies and javascript turned on. DDM2 offers includes searchable GPO shipping lists beginning with FY 1997. May be accessed by Title, Month, Year, Item or SuDoc Numbers, Format and Depository (Library) Number. Searches may combine access points. Users may choose to customize shipping lists, profiling lists for their depository library. Searchers will find that results from recent lists include HTML links to official PDF files. Some users may wish to use accessed lists to download MARC records associated with the list. The FDLP asks that depositories please to use their Web Claim Form for all claims against GPO-produced shipping lists, e.g., paper, separates, electronic, and those few microfiche shipping lists issued from GPO. Before making a claim, check the Claims Copies Exhausted page, linked from the Web Claim Form. Federal Depository Library Program publishes listings of the last or final shipping list numbers for each fiscal year to make it easier to identify missing shipments at the end of the fiscal year. Final lists have been announced for FY 2013.

Processing Procedures

The Government Information Clearinghouse and Handout Exchange compiled by the GODORT Education Committee includes materials authored and used in a variety of libraries.
Federal Depository Library Directory
The Federal Depository Library Directory versions listed here can be used for a multitude of purposes, including identifying the library owner of misdirected shipments. All versions provide hotlinks to depository e-mail addresses and homepages. The official Web version of the Federal Depository Library Directory (FDLP) offers many public search options and depository staff may sign in for additional options. DDM2 supports Boolean searching by Depository number, name, city, state, and library type.

Cataloging Records

The following are sources of GPO cataloging records. | Non-GPO Records are also available

OCLC

WorldCat contains GPO records from 1976- , plus earlier cataloging records contributed by other OCLC member institutions. Downloads available to subscribers only. Updated daily, GPO's Cataloging Branch creates records in this database. OCLC's FirstSearch service includes GPO (GPO Monthly Catalog) as a database for subscribers. OCLC also sells monthly batches of GPO records to be loaded into library catalogs.

MarciveWeb DOCS. The MARCIVE Enhanced GPO Database is available only to subscribers. The backfile (1976- ) includes the results of a project with Louisiana State University, Texas A & M University, and Rice University in which corrections and changes as posted to the Monthly Catalog were applied, records for dead and infrequent serials were examined and corrected, incorrect MARC tagging was corrected, and many other improvements (including authorities processing) were made to the records to make them more usable. Records may be saved and downloaded in MARC format. New records are made available monthly through either Ongoing Subscription or Documents Without Shelves. Ongoing service can be supplemented with weekly Shipping List Service (brief MARC records, SuDoc labels, smart barcode labels).

ProQuest

ProQuest, a commercial publisher, sells records to complement CIS microfiche collections (records are not accessible through the CIS page). These include the CIS US Congressional Committee Hearings 1789-1969, the CIS Index to Publications of the United States Congress 1970-, and the CIS US Executive Branch Documents 1789-1909.

Other Cataloging Records

The following are sources of non-GPO cataloging records

DOE Information Bridge MARC Records

The Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information offers free MARC records for the full-text reports available via the DOE Information Bridge. Over 200,000 reports can be downloaded by year or by subject category. Records are for documents dating primarily from 1991 forward and were produced by DOE, the DOE contractor community, and/or DOE grantees. Legacy documents from DOE and predecessor agencies, the Atomic Energy Commission and the Energy Research and Development Administration, are added as they become available in electronic format. FAQ available.

ERIC MARC Records

MARCIVE, Inc. sells ERIC MARC Records. The backfile covers the 435,662 title commercially-sold set of microfiche that dates from the 1950's to the present. About 70% of the records have URLs that link directly to the documents. MARCIVE also has the Internet-only titles from 2004 to the present. The ongoing subscription averages about 300 new records per month and includes the URL updates to the microfiche records.

Although ERIC records are included in other indices, the patron has to consciously think to use them. An architecture student would never think to look here for information on building cafeterias, nor would a psychology student think to look here for topics such as workplace stress. When these records are loaded into the online database, students find them through keyword access and can click on the links and go directly to the document. The FAQ contains more information. For pricing, sample records, and references, please contact Joan Chapa.

Collection Management Information

Administrative Notes

The newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program ceased in 2009. Online coverage: 1996-2009. Replaced by FDLP Connection, which has its own archive.
Archive of GPO (U.S. Government Printing Office) Online Programs
Since 2007, GPO has presented and archived OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) programs on FDLP topics.

New Depository Coordinators [Tutorials]

An overview of the basics of being a depository coordinator, a list of resources with descriptions of what they are and how they can be used, and more.

Twenty-one Things To Do When Assuming Responsibility for A Federal Depository Library

Now maintained by Bobby Griffith, Melody Kelly originally prepared this list for students taking SLIS 5660, Government Information and Access Service, at the University of North Texas School of Library and Information Sciences (Denton, TX).

LSCM Performance Metrics

Along with monthly reports, the FDLP publishes Cumulative Metrics (FY 2005 - Present) as as a PDF file. Useful for those interested in monitoring the number of titles and online resources being added to the FDLP.

Federal Depository Library PURL Referrals

For many years, GPO has assisted libraries in their measurement of PURL usage by compiling statistics. In 2010, GPO announced an FDLP PURL Referral Tool (log in using internal FDLP password). GPO Modifies PURL Referrals Reporting offers background information and links to a file repository of published data.

Government Information Clearinghouse & Handout Exchange

Compiled by the GODORT Education Committee, this site includes subject specific handouts and materials, such as collection development policies authored and used in a variety of libraries.

Documents Data Miner 2 (DDM2)

Documents Data Miner 2 is a partnership of Wichita State University, the National Institute for Aviation Research, and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Designed to support management of federal depository library collections, DDM2 combines files from the latest version of the List of Classes of United States Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries, the Inactive and Discontinued List, the Item Lister's Current Item Number Selection Profiles for Depository Libraries, and the Federal Depositories Library Directory.

Many useful FDLP titles are linked from this suite of publications and tools. Those attempting to locate missing documents, or to build a collection retrospectively should not overlook the national Needs and Offers List, listed under "Manage Your Collection."

GovSpeak : A Guide to Government Acronyms & Abbreviations

Lists acronyms and abbreviations commonly used by the United States federal government, compiled by Kelly Smith.
AALL/GODORT Government Documents Tutorial
"The purpose of this application is to help library workers understand and implement basic procedures for processing U.S. federal publications and information resources."

Learning SuDocs Call Numbers

An interactive tutorial for teaching SuDocs call numbers, sponsored by the Continuing Education Fund Working Group of the Education Committee of the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table. Originally designed by Becky Fox, former staff member of the Michigan State University Libraries.

Superseded List and Guidelines

In 2008, the FDLP posted new guidelines for identifying superseded materials, retaining the 2002 and 1996 editions of the Superseded List for use as reference materials.

Union List of Item Selections

Which Federal Depository Libraries select which item numbers? The Government Printing Office's Depository Library Union List contains selections by Federal Depository libraries in two zipped file versions: one comma delimited, one fixed field. The information is also contained in DDM2, which integrates data from the current List of Classes and is updated whenever GPO issues an updated file.

Cataloging Handbooks, Manuals, and Guides

Links to Selected Tools

ANSI/NISO Z39.71 - Holdings Statements for Bibliographic Items

This NISO standard, published in 2006, "specifies display requirements for holdings statements for bibliographic items to promote consistency in the communication and exchange of holdings information."
Resource Description and Access (RDA) and the Implications of RDA for Federal Depository Libraries
Links to reports on the progress of RDA implementation by national libraries. GPO will update this page to reflect new developments.

Cataloging Service Bulletin

A quarterly publication available from the Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress. Online collection covers issues No.1 (Summer 1978) through the last issue 128 (Fall 2010).

CONSER : Cooperative Online Serials

Many libraries participate, and still more use the serial records produced by this International Cooperative Serials Cataloging Program and Component of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging. The CONSER site includes a wealth of useful links, such as the CONSER Cataloging Manual Module 31 : Remote Access Electronic Serials (Online Serials), available from the Serials Cataloging Issues page.
GPO Cataloging
Includes links to GPO Cataloging Guidelines and more.

Index of CC:DA Documents

Compiled by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS, a division of the American Library Association) Committee on Cataloging: Description & Access (CC:DA).

Internet Library for Librarians

While not comprehensive, the Internet Library for Librarians has many pages of interest, among them, Cataloging: Organizing Internet Resources: Traditional Cataloging Approach.

International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD)

Supersedes earlier ISBDs prepared by the IFLA Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC Programme. Designed to be compliant with the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), the ISBD consolidated edition merges the texts of the seven specialized ISBDs (for books, maps, serials, sound recordings, computer files and other electronic resources, etc.) into one.

[OCLC] Participating Institutions search page

This resource allows one to"find a library or group of libraries, their symbols and policies. Enter whatever you know—part of a name, city, etc. To search for a group of libraries, type 'or' between your search terms; for example, 'DC or MD or VA'", or search by OCLC Symbol to learn the institutions' names. Don't confuse the OCLC resource (above) with the Web version of MARC Code List for Organizations. This resource, published by the Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office, "contains short alphabetic codes used to represent names of libraries and other kinds of organizations that need to be identified in the bibliographic environment."

MARC Standards

Published by the Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office. Includes standards for MARC concise format records for bibliographic, authority, holdings, classification, and community information. The following quick links may be of interest: Understanding MARC Bibliographic: Machine-Readable Cataloging, Guidelines for Coding Electronic Resources in Leader/06, Guidelines for the Use of Field 856, USMARC Concise Format for Bibliographic Data, and many others.

OCLC's Librarian's Toolbox

OCLC is a tool used by GPO and most libraries, so one should learn how to use it effectively. Browse OCLC Cataloging Connexion Documentation for authoritative information. Documentation titles include Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Cataloging Electronic Resources: OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines, revised July 11, 2006.

Megapages by Library Organizations

ALCTS Professional Resources

From the American Library Association ALCTS Web site.

Cataloguing Resources

Available as a link from the Special Library Association's Librarians' Resource Centre, developed by Margaret Gross and maintained by Dave Hook .

Government Information Clearinghouse & Handout Exchange

Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA

The Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA (JSC) is the new name of the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR). The JSC was responsible for maintaining the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, and is now working on a new code, “RDA: Resource Description and Access” scheduled to be released at the end of November 2009. Site includes information on the transition from AACR2 to RDA.

Map Cataloging Resources

List of resources related to Map Cataloging by Kathy Rankin, included in the Western Association of Map Libraries' Map Librarian's Toolbox, authored by Linda Zellmer.

Map Information and Place Names

From the ALA/GODORT International Documents Task Force's Toolbox for Processing and Cataloging International and Foreign Government Documents. Includes the Map Cataloging Resources above, and more.

Tool Collections by Individual Libraries

Cataloging Documentation on the Web

Created and maintained by Shirley Lincicum to support the efforts of staff at the University of Oregon's Knight Library (Eugene, OR).

Cataloging Oasis

Created and maintained by staff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries (Cambridge, MA), the MIT Cataloging Oasis page has been designed to provide many of the "little bits" of information catalogers need on a daily basis.

Cataloguing Cheat Sheets

Written by J. McRee Elrod of Special Libraries Cataloging, Victoric, BC, Canada, these address many topics, including government documents.

Cataloguer's Toolbox

Maintained by Charley Pennell, Principal Cataloger for Metadata, Metadata & Cataloging Dept., NCSU Libraries, North Carolina State University and Suzanne Ellison, Bibliographic Control Services Division, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Cataloging at Yale

The clear and thorough procedural documentation found at this site (e.g., Authority Control Workflow for Yale Catalog Librarians) serves as a model for other cataloging departments. Includes Music Cataloging at Yale.

Authority Tools for Audiovisual and Music Catalogers: An Annotated List of Useful Resources

This listing of online and printed resources, originally compiled by Subcommittee on Authority Tools, Cataloging Policy Committee, OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers, Inc., is part of the OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers website.

Library and Information Science Resources on the Web

This Intuit guide's "Tools by Department" includes links to a variety of department-based guides, including cataloging.

TPOT: Catalog Department--Books & Maps Cataloging Unit

Site has a collection of processing and cataloging procedures for U.S. government documents from the University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA).

Verifying PURLs and Internet Resources

This section also includes Web Search Tools and Agency publication indexes.

GPO no longer makes a PURL search form available for public use. To locate a GPO PURL, search for the title in CGP and note the PURL and the associated URL recorded in the record. The following tools may assist in locating PURLs or URLs for federal information for use in catalogs or Web pages. Nan Myers and Arlene Weible's "Suggested Checklist for Local Decision-Making: Working with URLS/PURLS in Your Local Catalog" may prove a useful guide. For statistics of registered GPO PURL referrals, see the Federal Depository Library PURL Referrals link above.

Internet Archive

Also known as "the Wayback Machine", this site allows the viewing of archived Web pages. Note that not all versions of pages are available. The Internet archive at the New Library of Alexandria, Egypt, mirrors the Wayback Machine.

Federal Web Harvests

NARA harvested (i.e., captured) files from Federal Agency public web sites in 2004 and of Congressional web sites in 2006. This site may contain documents and web pages of interest.

New Electronic Titles

GPO's listing of new additions to the Federal Depository Library Program Electronic Collection. Titles are derived from GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications by limiting searches to ranges of dates.

Web Search Tools

(Listed in alphabetical order.) In most cases, search titles in "quotation marks" for best results.

Alta Vista

AltaVista is a business of Overture Services, Inc. and includes a link to Babel Fish Translation services. Ask : formerly known as "ask Jeeves."

Bing

"Live Search is evolving" and Microsoft's search engine, formerly known as "Windows Live" has a new name.

Blekko

In beta, allows use of slashtags to search only user-chosen sites.

Duck Duck Go

A mashup of many sources, including Yahoo! Search BOSS, Wikipedia, and its own Web crawler (DuckDuckBot)

Dogpile

The "search and directory" division of InfoSpace, Dogpile searches a variety of services.

Google

Advanced search options include restricting searches to government sites by domains such as .gov, .mil. Caches indexed pages for future retrieval.

LOUIS

The Library Of Unified Information Services, is the Sunlight Foundation's index to federal documents from the executive and legislative branches of government.

Metacrawler

A metasearch service provided by InfoSpace that combines various existing search/index guides into one service.

Search.USA.gov

An official U.S. government web portal, formerly known as FirstGov.gov and USA.gov.

Web Crawler

A metasearch service provided by InfoSpace that combines various existing search/index guides into one service.

Yahoo

Agency Publication Indexes

Federal agencies cataloging or indexing their own publications make it easier to verify citations or even download digitized versions. Searching agency catalogs may be necessary to locate titles not retrieved by search engines. Judith Jordet's June 2006 GOVDOC-L posting DDM2 List of Agencies is a list of 60 agencies that contribute to the FDLP through the GPO (out of 5,800). For agencies not listed, she suggests searching agency Web sites.

Agency Index

Maintained by staff of the Washburn University School of Law, this collection of links to U.S. federal agency Web pages is presented in tablular form. Where known, the list links to the agency's Homepage, Publications, Chart, Forms, Opinions, Manuals, Library, and Directory. Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China
Not all of the Commission publications are retrieved using search engines. Site includes an Index for Hearings and an Index for Roundtables.

ERDC

Professional Library Services Technical publications from the Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research & Development Center. Includes links to the ERDC Online Publications Digital Archive, ERDC Online Catalogs, and links to publication pages of these units: Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory; Cold Regions Engineering and Research Laboratory; Construction Engineering Research Laboratory; Environmental Laboratory; Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory; Information Technology Laboratory; and the Topographic Engineering Center.

FDsys

Successor to GPO Access, GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) provides public access to government information submitted by Congress and Federal agencies and preserved as technology changes.

Information Bridge

DOE Scientific and Technical Information. Provides free public access to full-text documents and bibliographic citations of Department of Energy (DOE) research report literature. Documents are primarily from 1994 forward and were produced by DOE, the DOE contractor community, and/or DOE grantees. Legacy documents are added as they become available in electronic format.

National Ocean Service Bathymetric & Fishing Maps

Download Maps as Scanned Images. Preview files open readily but some of the full size map files are very large and are zipped to assist in downloading. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The National Marine Fisheries Service Scientific Publications Office offers Publication & Reference Links.

National Transportation Safety Board

NSCEP/NEPIS

Since January 17, 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) includes EPA's National Environmental Publications Internet Site (NEPIS) database, with more than 24,000 digital titles available for download at no charge. Site includes an explanation of EPA's Publication Numbering System.

NTRS: NASA Technical Report Server

With consolidation, NRTS includes technical reports from 1917-1958 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NASA's predecessor) as well as technical reports from 1959- by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Treesearch

Treesearch is an online system for locating and delivering publications by Research and Development scientists in the United States Forest Service.

TRIS Online

TRIS is a bibliographic database funded by sponsors of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), primarily the state departments of transportation and selected federal transportation agencies. TRIS Online is hosted by the National Transportation Library under a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and TRB. Users may search the National Transportation Library, its NTL Digital Repository, and the Transportation Research Thesaurus.

USGS Publications Warehouse

The Publications Warehouse of the United States Geological Survey includes: Bibliographic citations for over 70,000 publications; Full product and thematic map content for over 40,000 publications; and USGS numbered series begun in 1880.

Library Catalogs

The following catalogs include records for U.S. federal publications.

lib-web-cats

"A resource of over 4,000 libraries worldwide" maintained by Marshall Breeding, Technology Analyst for the Heard Library at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, lib-web-cats includes Library Web Pages, Online Catalogs, and System Profiles. Allows one to locate libraries using a particular library automation system to see how records appear.

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

Also known as "CGP)", this is an Ex Libris Aleph 500 catalog and includes GPO records from 1976- (more than 500,000 records). Many search options are available. For technical services staff, the Advanced search supports Boolean searches using drop-down menus. The Expert search allows one to use Aleph's common command language for efficient searches, e.g., 035=xxxxxxxxx for OCLC number. See help for examples.

DELCAT

Catalog of the University of Delaware Library. This is an Ex Libris (Aleph) catalog. Online titles use "Internet" as a location and "Electronic" as part of the call number.

FDLP Libraries Directory

The public may search the catalogs of many federal depository libraries using links from this directory.

Oakland University

Catalog of Oakland University. This is a Voyager catalog. Connection can be made via the Internet. Online titles use "Electronic Data" as a location and "AVAILABLE ONLY ONLINE" as the call number. URLs are hotlinked in this catalog.

OhioLINK Central Catalog

The OhioLINK Central Catalog of the Ohio Library and Information Network. OhioLINK selected Innovative Interfaces, Inc. to develop the unique software system to create the OhioLINK catalog. Connection can be through the Web.

Peak Catalog

Catalog of the Penrose Library, University of Denver, CO. This is an Innovative Interfaces, Inc. OPAC. A special feature of this catalog are the thousands of hotlinked URLs associated with federal government titles maintained in a related database by members of the Library staff. Connection can be through the Web. A keyword search on "http" (or "ftp") should return all documents with the search term in the 856 field.

E-Mail Discussion Lists and Electronic Communities

AUTOCAT

AUTOCAT is a semi-moderated international electronic discussion list running on LISTSERV(R) software. It serves as an electronic forum for the discussion of all questions relating to cataloging and authority control in libraries. The range of topics discussed extends from the very broad to the very specific, from the very theoretical to the most pragmatic. A searchable archive is available to subscribers.

DocTech-L

DocTech-L is an e-mail discussion list devoted to questions regarding the technical processing of Government Documents.

GOVDOC-L

GOVDOC-L is a LISTSERV® based discussion forum about government information and the Federal Depository Library program. This list may be monitored and used by FDLP officials to discover problems and provide answers. Postings are archived at Penn State's Archives of GOVDOC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU.

FDLP mailing list

GPO-FDLP-L, the GPO-sponsored list of announcements for Federal Depository Library Program participants is beling replaced and subscribers will not be automatically transferred to the new list. Go to News & Events and fill in the form to "join our mailing list" to subscribe. An GPO-FDLP-L archive exists, which may be searched or browsed. Other GPO lists are linked from the GPOLISTSERV page.
Library Technical Services Group
Part of the FDLP Community, the Library Technical Services Group is a forum for technical services staff in Federal Depository Libraries and others to discuss issues related to the acquisition and cataloging of U.S. federal materials. Discussion topics may include GPO item numbers, depository profiling, processing techniques, and cataloging. Postings to the group generate email notifications to those who subscribe.

MAPS-L

The Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum is an international discussion forum primarily for Map Librarians. The list includes subscribers from the USGS and includes discussion of map processing and cataloging issues. Subscription information and archived messages are available from at the MAPS-L web site.

SERIALST

SERIALST (Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum) is an informal electronic forum for the discussion of most aspects of serials processing in libraries. Appropriate topics include (but are not limited to): cataloging, acquisitions, collection management, serials budgets and pricing concerns, binding, preservation, microfilm and other non-print serials media, union list activities, announcements, news, and job postings that are of interest to the serials community. Archives may be browsed or searched.

CataList

"The official catalog of LISTSERV® lists" allows users to browse or search for lists of interest.

About this Toolbox...

These tools are of use to personnel who process and catalog materials distributed through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) which is administered by the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). Many are available at no charge via the Internet. GPO staff members catalog and index United States federal government publications, creating or adapting most of the USMARC records used by FDLP library participants. This Toolbox brings together tools and guides for both new and experienced library staff who process and catalog depository materials.

This page created and edited by John A. Stevenson and the Cataloging Committee of the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table.

Comments and suggestions may be directed to the Editor.

Document maintained on server http://www2.lib.udel.edu/ by John A. Stevenson, Acquisitions Department, University of Delaware Library.
Last modified: 05/14/13